One of the most important skills I’ve had to learn over the last 2 years as a remote manager, and now university educator, is reading poorly written communication from non-native English speakers.
I’ve adjusted because it has been necessary, but it frustrates me to no end with the amount of wasted mental energy and time it consumes in my day.
I’ve worked with plenty of people from many different countries over the last 2 decades and I’ve only experienced this problem in the last few years.
So here are 4 simple tips for non-native English speakers wanting to stand out in an English speaking workforce:
- Learn the fundamentals of English the language: use the correct words and phrases.
- Learn basic English grammar: when to use full-stops, commas, capitalisation and paragraphs.
- Proof read before you send.
- Ask yourself “have I provided all the information the recipient needs to understand what I’m saying”?
Poor written communication, especially if you have been doing it for a while without improvement, says one thing about a person: they’re lazy.
I’m not interested in working with lazy.